Without warning, Tesla has removed the most affordable trim level of the Cybertruck from its website, effectively killing it just five months after it was introduced. The rear-wheel-drive (RWD) Cybertruck had a starting price of just $69,990, but in its absence, the all-wheel-drive (AWD) model becomes the new base model with a starting price significantly higher at $79,990.
- Base Trim Engine
-
EV
- Base Trim Transmission
-
Automatic
- Base Trim Drivetrain
-
All-Wheel Drive
- Base Trim Horsepower
-
600 HP
- Base Trim Torque
-
521 lb.-ft.
- Base Trim Battery Type
-
Lithium ion battery
- Make
-
Tesla
- Model
-
Cybertruck
- Segment
-
Full-Size Pickup Truck
The RWD Cybertruck was just introduced last April. Tesla hoped its lower price would spur sales, which have been disappointing since the truck went on sale in late 2023. In order to achieve that lower price, Tesla sold the RWD Cybertruck with fewer features than other Cybertrucks. It lacked an adaptive suspension, a backseat screen, and had lower power figures and a lower payload capacity. It did, however, have the longest range of any Cybertruck at 350 miles.
What’s Going On With Cybertruck Sales?
Tesla has given no reason for the cancellation of the RWD Cybertruck. We can speculate the model wasn’t popular enough to make its continued production worthwhile, and so it was axed.
Cybertruck sales as a whole have been disappointing, at least compared to the 250,000 units per year Tesla CEO Elon Musk had targeted. Actual sales have been more like 22,000 units per year, according to Cox Automotive. Through the first half of 2025, only 10,712 Cybertrucks were delivered to customers, which is actually 7.3 percent fewer than in the first half of last year. Currently, the best-selling full-size electric pickup truck in the U.S. through the first half of 2025 is the Ford F-150 Lightning with 13,029 units sold.
Many factors can be cited for why the Cybertruck has not lived up to Tesla’s expectations. The company overpromised and underdelivered in terms of the truck’s price, range, and capabilities. Its on-sale date was also delayed multiple times, giving competitors the opportunity to beat it to market. And finally, there’s Musk himself, who has become a divisive public figure this past year with his foray into politics.
Oh, and we can’t forget how the Cybertruck looks. The truck’s angular design and stainless steel skin were polarizing from the moment the Cybertruck first rolled on stage in late 2019. It does not appear that customers are warming up to its looks.
TopSpeed’s Take
When Musk first introduced the Cybertruck, he claimed the single-motor, rear-wheel-drive model would have a base price of $39,990. This is the model that Tesla just discontinued, and it was never sold for under $40,000. Instead, the best Tesla could manage was a base price $30,000 higher. We don’t need a rocket scientist to figure out why the RWD Cybertruck was a bomb. Coincidentally, Musk is a rocket scientist, yet still couldn’t deliver on his promised $40,000 electric truck.
There were other claims Musk made about the Cybertruck that never materialized. It was supposed to have a maximum range of 500 miles per charge. It was supposed to float. It was supposed to have bulletproof glass. It was supposed to have a retractable ramp in its tailgate. It was supposed to have a stainless steel exoskeleton. Instead, by the time the Cybertruck went on sale, it had middling specs compared to its growing list of competitors, most of which don’t look like an extra in a Mad Max movie. Is the Cybertruck a bad EV pickup? No, it’s just not anywhere near as class-leading as Tesla’s other vehicles have been.
